Four games from the final whistle of the season, the sprint is well and truly on for the contenders for Europe and the teams struggling to maintain. If PSG is already guaranteed to recover the title of champion of France, the places on the podium are expensive and will be at stake from Friday April 29 during Strasbourg-Paris. In the event of victory, the Alsatians could come back up to Rennes, third, and put pressure on the Bretons as well as on the Monegasques, fourth.
OM-OL, an expensive Olympico
The first leg was very hot, too hot even since the meeting was interrupted after only three minutes of play and the throwing of a bottle of water on the head of Dimitri Payet. A sad spectacle sanctioned by a penalty point for Lyon which continues to handicap the Rhodanians. If during the replayed match, the Gones had ended up winning 2-1, they point well away from their Olympian rival with four games remaining.
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Only eighth, the players of Peter Bosz have almost said goodbye to the podium. But their exciting victory last weekend against Montpellier (5-2) revived them in the race for Europe. Five points behind Nice, fifth, OL must achieve a clear round and hope for several missteps from their opponents.
For the Marseillais, beaten in Rotterdam on Thursday in the first leg of the Europa League conference by Feyenoord (2-3), the objective is to secure second place, synonymous with a direct ticket to the group stages of the next Champions League. They have a comfortable lead over Rennes (six points), but nothing has been done mathematically yet.
Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne play their survival against the big
Two historic clubs on the edge of the abyss. Respectively opposed to Nice and Rennes, the Girondins and the Greens will have to do better than their last outings to hope to remain in the elite. Bordeaux is a little more urgent than ASSE. David Guion’s players are four points behind the play-off spot after taking a small point in their last two games, two games in which they led 2-0 (2-2 against Saint-Etienne, 3-5 against Nantes).
The Greens are precisely in this place of barrage, with Lorient, Troyes and Clermont within range. Like the Girondins, it is against an opponent who is playing for the podium that you have to take precious points this weekend, against Nice who are less impressive at the end of the season, but still capable of snatching victory at the end. additional time. For its part, AS Saint-Etienne will have to be wary of the offensive strike force of Rennes, which won 5-0 in the first leg and which can count on a burning Martin Terrier, goalscorer in each of his last seven league games.
Seventh consecutive victory for Monaco?
Long behind, the Monegasques started their sprint from afar and could well finish on the podium. Currently fourth, tied on points with the third, Rennes, the players of the Rock remain on six victories in a row. Paris, Metz, Troyes, Rennes, Nice and Saint-Etienne suffered the wrath of the outburst of Philippe Clement’s proteges.
L’@AS_Monaco panicked counters in recent weeks
Will the Rock club manage to finish on the podium? https://t.co/niHPHJx2HM
— Ligue 1 Uber Eats (@Ligue1UberEats) April 27, 2022
Opposed to Angers on Sunday, Monaco intends to ride on this dynamic against an opponent who has only taken 10 points in Ligue 1 in 2022 (only Metz does worse), with only one victory in its last 13 outings. Especially since the SCO will not be able to count on Sofiane Boufal, the “strong link” of the team according to his coach Gérald Baticle.
Almost impossible mission for Metz
Traveling to Montpellier, Metz could be officially relegated on Sunday in the event of defeat and better results from Saint-Etienne, Troyes and Clermont. Stuck in a series of thirteen games without a win, Frédéric Antonetti’s players can no longer do so and are seven points from the play-off place and 12 points remain to be distributed.
The mission already seems compromised, but the Messins could delay the deadline by taking advantage of the fact that the MHSC has nothing left to play, and above all has only taken one point from its last five outings.